Bard College eyes vacant Kingston school building for satellite operation

ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. -- Bard College officials are seriously considering moving a satellite operation into one of the Kingston school district's buildings like the vacant Frank L. Meagher Elementary School, Bard President Leon Botstein said Monday.

Botstein said he has been working with Kingston school Superintendent Paul Padalino, Kingston Mayor Shayne Gallo, and U.S. Rep. Chris Gibson, R-Kinderhook, to brainstorm ideas.

Botstein hopes to have a plan by July 1 and said he intends to raise the prospect of a Kingston campus with the state Board of Regents next month.

"They're begging for ideas," the college president said of vacant school buildings in the Kingston school district.

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One limitation at this point is the need to line up state and/or federal funding, the Botstein said, but he thinks "there is a very high likelihood" a plan will come together.

Bard College runs two early college programs in New York City, and one in Newark, N.J., that allow high school students to complete their public education requirements by the end of their sophomore years, then work toward associate's degrees during their junior and senior years without paying tuition.

A Kingston-based Bard satellite program could include an early college program, and as Kingston High School moves from a comprehensive high school approach with a vast array of programs toward organizing the school into several thematic academies, Botstein can envision Bard running an early college academy for the district.

Botstein said "the numbers are too small" in Kingston to support that as the only component of the operation, and he wants a Bard operation in Kingston to be one that brings economic value to the city, potentially drawing people to the area.

At the other end of the spectrum, Botstein expressed interest in creating a continuing education program for people ages 60 to 80, who are also currently not part of the workforce.

Although there is no concrete plan at the moment, Botstein cited science, technology, engineering, and math as well as "cultural tourism" as potential points of emphasis if Bard opens a Kingston campus.

Botstein said the college runs programs all over the country, and he would like to help out his neighbors across the river. He said he considers Kingston to be an important cultural hub for the area, and many Bard employees work there.

He also cited "a need for new educational ventures" because the United States "does a poor job of educating adolescent students."

Botstein believes his college could provide academic programs that would help improve student achievement at Kingston High School.